****** straps are manufactured from webbing that is capable of approximately 20% stretch under load. This stretching property allows the strap to store kinetic energy, which is used to pull vehicles from a bog. The recovery vehicle then drives off, and the strap begins to stretch, building up kinetic energy, until the force keeping the vehicle bogged is overcome, at which point the bogged vehicle is pulled forward (or "snatched", hence the name).

A ****** strap should not be used for towing or winching purposes.

If you don't have a winch this is the alternative. If you do have a winch, you wouldn't want to try and "******" with a wire rope.. That will lead to mucho damage and possibly injuries if it breaks.

 

Guys (especially jdrew and Fireman) thanks a lot for all the information!!!!

Anyway, now that I have all the info I need, I'll just invite some friends to come

 

Just to add to what jdrew said..

Yes, winch cables can break. But they don't store the kind of energy that straps do. It is advised to use some type of weighted object on the winch line though. If you have a front mounted winch, it is still advisable to open the hood of your vehicle while winching forward to provide a barrier.They make something called a "winch saver" that works well, as it adds weight to the line if it breaks and will allow it to go to the ground easier. An old sock with a couple of baseball or softball sized rocks will work too. Anything will help, that add weight or air drag to the line ... such as a jacket or old blanket. Synthetic winch line is better (more pricey) as it just falls to the ground when/if it breaks.

But the main danger to avoid is using a strap with metal ends of any kind that are attached. It's like having a rubber band stretched, and if it breaks, and has attached hardware it can be hella deadly. Not to mention the amount of damage it can do to a vehicle.

 

I will chime in with Fireman here ... saw a clip of that very thing happen online .. Silverado was pulling out SOMETHING on 4 wheels out of a mudpitt .. dunno if the tow hook gave way on the vehicle in the pit but that band+metal hook came flying back and took out the rear slidingwindow of the Silverado .. no thanks, that could've been someones head!

 

I was watching video of the Ultimate Adventure last year, and the UA FJ cruiser has it's heavy plastic grill damaged from just a strap alone.. no hardware. There is a lot of force behind them when they let go.

A member of an off road forum was killed a couple of summers ago when they used a D ring to connect tow straps together for the added length. Onebroke, and the other snapped back with the D ring still attached. he was in a jeep, and the D ring struck him in the back of his head. He was killed instantly.

 

yall are kinda being unfair to winch cables
from being in the towing buisness for over 25 years
and have worked many wrecks and winch outs..
i have yet to have a winch cable break

its all in how you care for ur cable
if you just let it get kinked up on the spool
then next time you use it you could have a problem
taking care of your equipment iscrucial for not have equipment failure

the key to winching outa mud stuck truck is to put pressure on the truck from the winch
let it sit w/ the pressure on it for a few mins. and hit the winch some more and let sit
repeat this step a couple of times and ur done
the reason behind this method is the mud creates a vacuum and the steady pressure from the
winchallows the vacuum time to release.
i have done this many times and it works w/ anything from 18 wheelers to tractors stuck in ponds.

i would bet most of the equipment failure yall have heard about or seen was from someone who didnt take care of their cableand/or wasjust holding the winch button down and tryin to force the truck out

 

Never having used a winch, I can't comment personally, but Kild1 is a professional tower, so methinks his advice is probably bang-on!

 

Uh.. actuallyI think the main message here is about tow straps, and not winches. Yes winch line breaks are very uncommon, but that's NOT to say that you should let your guard down when operating one. Like anything else you should be aware of many factors.

I just wanted to make sure that if the topic starter didn't have a strap yet, that he didn't waste his money buying something that could end up killing someone. So I simply told him what kind not to get, .. one that just about any experienced wheelerwould agree too.

Don't really see where anyones being unfair to anything when you're trying to make sure they are informed of any potential hazards that are there. Sugar coating anything won't help them if they get killed because they didn't know any better.

But you're right, too many winch owners don't really know how to operate their winches as optimal as they should. And even more are not as careful around them, as they should be.

 

i wasnt tryin to offend ya bro
and i agree w/ yall
never go offroad without a goodstrap
we use straps too not for winchin but for pullin

ur right the main thing is to be safe w/ either of them

 

LOL, I'mnot offened, bro. I guess i should be more clear that I'm talking about using tow straps for pulling someone out. Which is probably the more often used method of extractionthan anything else. I assume anyway, that tow straps per wheeler, outnumber winches per wheeler. It's also certainly cheaper than getting winch. For someone who isn't wheeling all the time it's probably a better solution.. depending of course, since it does require another vehicle. I only touched on the winch aspect in the event he was stuck and someone offered to pull him out with a winch. That way he would know to put his hood up etc. I'd rather he'd be safe than sorry. Even if it's less likely for a winch cable to break, the one being used may not be yours, and the guy helping you out, may not practice good maintanance of his winch. So, in a nutshell, .. even if you don't owna winch, and you wheel, you should still know some of the basic rules of safety about them, cause you might be on the end of one if you find yourself in a jamb. I've seen too many goofballs in my line of work, and everywhere else, to put total faith in someone else to be responsable for my safety. So, even if someone is trying to "help" me, I have no objection to speaking up if they're doing something that's unsafe for me or them.

It was suggested that he get a strap, and I think he may have posted that he would. I simply offereda few tips as what to get, and a couple of quick pointers about how to use it safely.